0:00:03 > 0:00:08children, but recent grooming scandals have revealed young people
0:00:08 > 0:00:14in care can be prime targets for abusers. He was horrible. He paid us
0:00:14 > 0:00:19for it. We looked like children. With ever more children in care,
0:00:19 > 0:00:24Panorama reveals how thousands are being exported across the UK.
0:00:24 > 0:00:30place the most vulnerable children in our society in one of the most
0:00:30 > 0:00:36deprived parts of England seems to be insane. How many go missing,
0:00:36 > 0:00:45putting themselves at risk. Drinking, smoking drugs, robbing
0:00:45 > 0:00:48cars. They call young people in Zoe's position looked-after
0:00:48 > 0:00:52children. They're not looked after. And we meet the family stopped from
0:00:52 > 0:01:02speaking openly about failing that's their son's care. I don't want him
0:01:02 > 0:01:16
0:01:16 > 0:01:20I'm really worried about you. We all miss you. Kisses. From her home in
0:01:20 > 0:01:25Nottinghamshire, this mother sends regular text messages to her
0:01:25 > 0:01:2813-year-old son. Don't get no replies. No, it's really upsetting.
0:01:28 > 0:01:32She hasn't seen her son since January. He lives in a children's
0:01:32 > 0:01:38home, because the family weren't able to cope with his behaviour. His
0:01:38 > 0:01:42mum is still legally responsible for him, but we can't identify her or
0:01:42 > 0:01:46the family. Nottinghamshire, the council they turned to for help,
0:01:46 > 0:01:56last week went to court to stop their concerns about the care he's
0:01:56 > 0:02:01getting being reported openly . The boy's mother remarried when he was
0:02:01 > 0:02:05younger. Family videos speak of happier times together. He's always
0:02:05 > 0:02:09been polite. He was the one making the conversation and being the
0:02:09 > 0:02:14Frankster. 18 months ago -- prankster. 18 months ago he started
0:02:14 > 0:02:20to go off the rails. All of a sudden, it just changed. We didn't
0:02:20 > 0:02:23understand why. Constantly every day going further away from us. We felt
0:02:23 > 0:02:30him slipping away. Wasn't long before he started getting into
0:02:30 > 0:02:35serious trouble. There was one situation where he lit a fire up in
0:02:35 > 0:02:41his bedroom, which obviously we don't want him to smoke. He set fire
0:02:41 > 0:02:44to some things in a box that. Night I slept outside his bedroom. I slept
0:02:44 > 0:02:49down stairs. We were trying everything we could to prevent him
0:02:49 > 0:02:56run ago way. They were so worried about him, they asked social workers
0:02:56 > 0:03:01for help. From Tuesday to Thursday, he didn't come home at all, so we
0:03:01 > 0:03:07didn't know whether he was dead or alive. We rang social and they
0:03:07 > 0:03:12agreed with us that it was his best interests to go. They found him on
0:03:12 > 0:03:19the Saturday morning. He got took into care. Did that feel for you as
0:03:19 > 0:03:21his mum? Oh, devastated. Absolutely devastated. With the family's
0:03:21 > 0:03:27agreement Nottinghamshire County Council moved him to a private
0:03:27 > 0:03:35children's home. His mum expected a short stay with expert help. That
0:03:35 > 0:03:39was 13 months ago. I've not seen him since January. There's been nothing
0:03:39 > 0:03:43trying to help get the family together. His brother and sister, he
0:03:43 > 0:03:49doesn't want to see them, but nobody's trying to mediate with the
0:03:49 > 0:03:54family. There's a school connected to the home, but he rarely goes. An
0:03:54 > 0:03:59assessment of their son marked "urgent" a year ago, hasn't been
0:03:59 > 0:04:03done. In terms of any real specialist help, counselling,
0:04:03 > 0:04:10therapy, anything like that, have you seen any evidence of that?
0:04:10 > 0:04:14Absolutely nothing. Despite the mother's concerns being very real,
0:04:14 > 0:04:24the council believes they shouldn't be reported openly because they say
0:04:24 > 0:04:28it will upset her son and may harm his welfare. Residential care should
0:04:28 > 0:04:34be a place of safety, but the recent child sex scandals from Derby, to
0:04:34 > 0:04:38rap Dale to Oxford have revealed -- Rochdale to Oxford have revealed how
0:04:38 > 0:04:43children in care can become targets for abuse. This young woman, we'll
0:04:43 > 0:04:47call her Jane, was a victim of the Oxford grooming gang. Seven men were
0:04:47 > 0:04:52found guilty of offences including rape, trafficking and organising
0:04:52 > 0:04:56prostitutes... This week, her abusers are due to be sentenced for
0:04:56 > 0:05:00their part in a child sex trafficking ring. Jane's untold
0:05:00 > 0:05:06story shines a light on the substandard care that some children
0:05:06 > 0:05:15receive from the state. It started in Oxford when at the age of just 12
0:05:15 > 0:05:19she was first targeted by the gang. I was just out every day. I I was
0:05:19 > 0:05:23missing for four days at a time. Coming back, not being able to
0:05:23 > 0:05:31breathe through drugs. Jane had been with several foster families and was
0:05:31 > 0:05:34adopt whenned she was 11. -- when she was 11. Her adoptive mum said
0:05:34 > 0:05:39Jane's vulnerability was exploited by the men. It kept escalating. She
0:05:39 > 0:05:47kept going missing for longer. She kept coming back in an even worse
0:05:47 > 0:05:52state, more dishevelled, more drugged, more dirty. Sometimes with
0:05:52 > 0:05:57various injuries. Eventually, like the Nottinghamshire family, she
0:05:57 > 0:06:03agreed her daughter should be sent away for her own safety. Oxfordshire
0:06:03 > 0:06:09County Council sent Jane to a private home 100 miles away.
0:06:09 > 0:06:13just don't feel safe. You feel like you're allowed to wander off and do
0:06:13 > 0:06:19what you want. We would smoke weed with men down the road. They'd let
0:06:19 > 0:06:25you stay out till 10pm. That's not what I needed. I needed to be safe.
0:06:25 > 0:06:29After a few weeks there, Jane got into a fight. So she was moved in
0:06:29 > 0:06:36the middle of the night to another home, nearly 300 miles away in
0:06:36 > 0:06:39Devon. It was pitch black. It was very - I was very tired. I was in a
0:06:39 > 0:06:46car with these two horrible people that I'd never met. I didn't know
0:06:46 > 0:06:50where I was going. I was just really scared. What should have been a
0:06:50 > 0:06:54refuge was anything but. Jane's mum and the Nottinghamshire family both
0:06:54 > 0:06:59turned to the state for help but were shocked bit standard of
0:06:59 > 0:07:04residential care provided for their children. How unusual is their
0:07:04 > 0:07:07experience? Well, that is very hard to find out, because in England,
0:07:07 > 0:07:14detailed information about children's homes is not publicly
0:07:14 > 0:07:19available. All children's homes in England are inspected by the
0:07:19 > 0:07:24regulator Ofsted, twice a year. Their reports aren't easy to access
0:07:24 > 0:07:31for child protection reasons. We had to negotiate with Ofsted for months
0:07:31 > 0:07:35to see reports on just 14 homes. We were then able to show the mother in
0:07:35 > 0:07:40Nottinghamshire reports for her son's home. The actual home in
0:07:40 > 0:07:45November was given a rating of adequate. They're actually looking
0:07:45 > 0:07:52after my children and for it to be adequate, it's just not good enough.
0:07:52 > 0:07:57The home has neverries an buff adequate in four years -- never
0:07:57 > 0:08:03risen above adequate in four years. The school is worse, inadequate.
0:08:03 > 0:08:09they had told me about these Ofsted reports when he went into care, I'd
0:08:09 > 0:08:12have done everything in my power to get him out. The home is run by a
0:08:12 > 0:08:21company called Turnaround: Inspiring the Next Generation, which last
0:08:21 > 0:08:25year, was paid more than �500,000 by Nottinghamshire County Council. The
0:08:25 > 0:08:28company told us that it complies with recommendations from Ofsted and
0:08:28 > 0:08:36local authorities when they arise and can't comment on individual
0:08:36 > 0:08:41cases. How many councils use children's homes that are less than
0:08:41 > 0:08:45good? We asked every council in England with Children's Services.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49More than half responded. Their More than half responded. Their
0:08:49 > 0:08:57answers reveal a worrying picture. At the turn of the year, one child
0:08:57 > 0:09:00in four was in a home rated adequate or even inadequate. I think local
0:09:00 > 0:09:06authorities should only be placing them in homes that are outstanding
0:09:06 > 0:09:10or that are good. Those homes that are judged adequate or, in some
0:09:10 > 0:09:17cases, inadequate, need to work as hard as they can to raise the
0:09:17 > 0:09:21standards because that's what these children deserve. Some councils have
0:09:21 > 0:09:27high standards. We've found 16 that told us all their children were
0:09:27 > 0:09:34placed in good or outstanding homes. But we found eight where none of
0:09:34 > 0:09:36their children were in homes rated above adequate. I think that's
0:09:36 > 0:09:40extremely worrying that you've found that. Those local authorities need
0:09:40 > 0:09:46to be held to account. They need to explain why they think that's
0:09:46 > 0:09:52acceptable for those children. the Government has revealed to
0:09:52 > 0:09:56Panorama it's going to act on these concerns. With Ofsted it plans to
0:09:56 > 0:09:59make "good" the minimum acceptable standard. I'll be changing the
0:09:59 > 0:10:03ratings so it requires improvement rather than adequate. We're working
0:10:03 > 0:10:06with them to see how quickly and swiftly we can bring that about.
0:10:06 > 0:10:10it's not good enough? It's not because there are room for
0:10:10 > 0:10:17improvement. We want to see good quality care across children's
0:10:17 > 0:10:23homes, whoever provides that care. The care vulnerable children receive
0:10:23 > 0:10:28can have a significant impact on their lives. Jordan Hampson was
0:10:28 > 0:10:36taken into care at the age of four. Now 19, he's moving into his own
0:10:36 > 0:10:41flat, getting it ready for his girlfriend and baby to join him.
0:10:41 > 0:10:47I've had my ups and my downs with moving out of care. It's just hard.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50Jordan was with the same foster parents for ten years but problems
0:10:50 > 0:10:55with him led to the placement breaking down. Lancashire Council
0:10:55 > 0:10:59was forced to move him, so aged 14, he went to a children's home in
0:10:59 > 0:11:03Stockport. They said right, we've packed your clothes in a black bag.
0:11:03 > 0:11:08Put them in the boot and said you're going it a care home. I were kicking
0:11:08 > 0:11:15off, saying, you're not taking me. I stayed there about 20 minutes. I
0:11:15 > 0:11:20said I'm not staying here. Care home staff have limited powers to stop
0:11:20 > 0:11:25children. Jordan left and walked 11 miles through the night. You managed
0:11:25 > 0:11:29to get all the way to your foster parents. I knocked on the door and
0:11:29 > 0:11:33they said, " What are you doing here? The council had to remove him
0:11:33 > 0:11:37again and sent him back to Stockport. They said, " You need to
0:11:37 > 0:11:43go back. We can't do nothing." I just wanted to cry, but I couldn't
0:11:43 > 0:11:48cry. Jordan was then moved to another home in Liverpool, where, he
0:11:48 > 0:11:52says, staff didn't even know his name. Sat in an office just talking
0:11:52 > 0:11:57to each other and making phone calls and they never used to come out.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01They didn't know our names. They used to forget our names because it
0:12:01 > 0:12:08were different people all the time. Jordan got himself deeper into
0:12:08 > 0:12:13trouble with the police. Drinking, smoking drugs, and robbing cars and
0:12:14 > 0:12:18breaking into people's houses. I just wish I was never moved there
0:12:18 > 0:12:22and met them people I did. Lancashire County Council says it
0:12:22 > 0:12:28can't comment on the specifics of a particular case. It says the welfare
0:12:28 > 0:12:32of children is paramount and when it does place children out of county,
0:12:32 > 0:12:38its social workers maintain regular contact with them. There can be good
0:12:38 > 0:12:43reasons for moving children away from areas they know, but for Jane,
0:12:43 > 0:12:48like Jordan, things got worse. She says the staff in the Devon home,
0:12:48 > 0:12:53she was sent to by Oxfordshire County Council, were too easy going.
0:12:53 > 0:12:59They used to spend quite a fair bit of money each week to go shopping.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02We used to go to buy French lingerie and -- clothes that were too small.
0:13:02 > 0:13:06They used to help you pick out the colour you were going to get. It
0:13:06 > 0:13:12made me put myself in a situation where I felt I was an adult and I
0:13:12 > 0:13:16wasn't. It wasn't secure accommodation, so there were few
0:13:16 > 0:13:22restrictions placed on Jane's freedom. Before long, she and
0:13:23 > 0:13:27another girl got into serious danger. This children's home was
0:13:27 > 0:13:32ments to be a rural -- meant to be a rural setting. That was a selling
0:13:32 > 0:13:40point, that it was almost impossible for young people absconding to get
0:13:40 > 0:13:47very far. Well, within half an hour or so, they'd found this man. He --
0:13:47 > 0:13:56He was this creepy man. He gave us underwear to wear. Sorry, he was
0:13:56 > 0:14:00horrible. He paid us for it. I mean, we looked like children. He'd taken
0:14:00 > 0:14:07naked or semi-naked photos of them, which he'd E-mailed or whatever up
0:14:08 > 0:14:13to London and put them on a train. And sold them essentially? Yes.
0:14:13 > 0:14:20got �500 each off him and made our way to London. Other things
0:14:20 > 0:14:26happened, like with men, did more drugs. Then I made my way back to
0:14:26 > 0:14:32Oxford to see my mum because I wanted to go home. Jane didn't tell
0:14:32 > 0:14:39her mum they'd be -- been sold for sex. She did try to tell a member of
0:14:39 > 0:14:42staff at the home. I think he felt uncomfortable talking about it. If
0:14:43 > 0:14:47he'd listened, for me, it wouldn't have happened later, again, because
0:14:47 > 0:14:51that was my cry for help, trying to tell him, but they didn't listen.
0:14:51 > 0:14:58All the while, Jane's mum was writing to the council, the police,
0:14:58 > 0:15:06even the Prime Minister. She, too, felt no-one was listening. I've got
0:15:06 > 0:15:12nine files of correspondence. No-one wanted to help. No-one could get off
0:15:12 > 0:15:18their professional high horse for long enough to stand beside us and
0:15:19 > 0:15:24say - this is awful. We've got to get something better. This could
0:15:24 > 0:15:29have been a chance to break the cycle of abuse. Instead, back in
0:15:29 > 0:15:33Oxford, Jane was targeted again by the grooming gang whose exploitation
0:15:33 > 0:15:41intensified. It would be years before the men who abused her were
0:15:41 > 0:15:46brought to justice. An independent review of the abuse scandal is under
0:15:46 > 0:15:50way. Oxfordshire County Council told us it will implement any
0:15:50 > 0:15:54recommendations. It says it has taken action to improve safeguarding
0:15:54 > 0:16:00and only places children outside its area if it's in their best
0:16:00 > 0:16:05interests. So how many children like Jane are placed away from their
0:16:05 > 0:16:11area? We asked every council in the UK with Children's Services. From
0:16:11 > 0:16:21those that responded, we found half of all their children were in homes
0:16:21 > 0:16:22
0:16:22 > 0:16:32outside the area. That's more than 2,500 vulnerable children. That was
0:16:32 > 0:16:34
0:16:34 > 0:16:39Haxted, Kent. Here's Somerset.Yeah. Linda Thomsett's granddaughter Zoe
0:16:39 > 0:16:42was sent by Westminster City Council to 13 children's home around the
0:16:42 > 0:16:48country in the space of two years. Is this another one in Taunton?
0:16:48 > 0:16:54Yeah, that's another one. Linda kept a note of every address. She visited
0:16:54 > 0:17:00Zoe wherever she went. I used to go every week. I never let her down,
0:17:00 > 0:17:04never. Here we are, here's one. Welsh home. That's it.Zoe had
0:17:04 > 0:17:10complex problems when she was taken into care. Her grandparents feel the
0:17:10 > 0:17:14constant moves didn't help. As soon as she was happy and contented and
0:17:14 > 0:17:19settled down... They seemed to move her. Move her.ive still don't know,
0:17:19 > 0:17:23to this day, why they keep on moving. I don't know. You never got
0:17:23 > 0:17:28an explanation? No, I think they thought she wouldn't run away if
0:17:28 > 0:17:34they moved her. Ridiculous idea. When she ran away, where did she run
0:17:34 > 0:17:40to? Here. Here. Within this area. She would make her way here. When
0:17:40 > 0:17:45the police come here to pick her up, she was fast asleep on here. But she
0:17:45 > 0:17:50wasn't allowed to stay. Zoe was sent it a home in Hereford, a three-hour
0:17:50 > 0:17:56journey from London. Linda remembers the last time she saw her. I thought
0:17:56 > 0:18:01she was on drugs. When I came home here, I said, I wished I had brought
0:18:01 > 0:18:07her home. It don't feel right.ive found the home and I said -- right.
0:18:07 > 0:18:12I found the home and I said, " Is she in now? No she wasn't in. I
0:18:12 > 0:18:17said, listen, it's 10. 30pm at night. She should be in. They said,
0:18:17 > 0:18:24she'll come in when she wants. I said, " You're supposed to be in
0:18:24 > 0:18:29charge of her. You'll have her sent home in a bloody black bag, you."
0:18:29 > 0:18:38Just days later, aged 17, Zoe was found in a house dead from an
0:18:38 > 0:18:42overdose. She'd been missing from the children's home for three days.
0:18:42 > 0:18:47They call young people in Zoe's position looked-after children.
0:18:47 > 0:18:52they're not looked after. definitely not. They're not looked
0:18:52 > 0:18:57after at all. . A Serious Case Review after Zoe's death found the
0:18:57 > 0:19:01council had provided extraordinary levels of human and financial
0:19:01 > 0:19:07resources but that her constant moves meant there was a lack of
0:19:07 > 0:19:10consistent, coordinated support provided to her.
0:19:10 > 0:19:14Trying to reduce the number of children in care placed outside of
0:19:14 > 0:19:18their own home local authority is a fight that those of us in the
0:19:18 > 0:19:21children's sector have been waging for many years. We're not cracking
0:19:21 > 0:19:28it because there aren't enough places to put children in their own
0:19:28 > 0:19:33areas. Every more children are being taken into care, as council budgets
0:19:33 > 0:19:39are being squeezed. Many are sent here to Margate on the Kent coast,
0:19:39 > 0:19:43not for the sea air, but because there's lots of children's homes.
0:19:43 > 0:19:49What sort of area is it? It looks like it might be a lovely area, next
0:19:49 > 0:19:51to the sea. But actually there's huge unemployment here and poverty,
0:19:51 > 0:19:55released prisoners into the community, including paedophiles in
0:19:55 > 0:19:59this area and a large number of children's homes as well. I think to
0:19:59 > 0:20:05place the most vulnerable children in our society in one of the most
0:20:05 > 0:20:09deprived parts of England, which this is, seems, to me, to be insane.
0:20:09 > 0:20:14Local head teacher thinks vulnerable children sent here could be at risk.
0:20:14 > 0:20:18I don't think we, as a society, have learned adequately about what
0:20:18 > 0:20:22happened in Rochdale not long ago, where you found out there was a
0:20:22 > 0:20:26significant problem with grooming. I don't know that's happened here. I
0:20:26 > 0:20:31fear greatly, if it isn't already happening, it will happen in the
0:20:32 > 0:20:35future. So why do councils send children here? Primarily because
0:20:35 > 0:20:40it's cheap, according to Paul Luxmoore. It clearly is market
0:20:40 > 0:20:43driven. Property here is large and very cheap. It's a great place to
0:20:43 > 0:20:48open a children's home, if you want to make a profit. It's in the a
0:20:48 > 0:20:51great place to open a children's home if you want to care for
0:20:51 > 0:20:56looked-after children. Costs �1 billion a year to look after
0:20:56 > 0:21:00children in residential care in England, where most homes are
0:21:00 > 0:21:06privately run, but trying to find out about the care they offer isn't
0:21:06 > 0:21:16easy. We wrote to ten of the bigger private companies asking for their
0:21:16 > 0:21:18
0:21:18 > 0:21:22Ofsted ratings. Six didn't answer our questions. One company did. It's
0:21:22 > 0:21:29a family-owned chain of seven homes, all kurnly rated good or outstanding
0:21:29 > 0:21:34-- currently. Nice to see you. Come in. Family Care Associates invited
0:21:34 > 0:21:44us to look round one home in Blackburn. It's a three-bed unit.
0:21:44 > 0:21:44
0:21:44 > 0:21:48We've got one young man in at the minute. Although this home halls the
0:21:48 > 0:21:54highest Ofsted rating, children aren't being placed here any more.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58When this young man leaves next month, it will close for good.
0:21:58 > 0:22:03We have reduced and reduced our price over the last three years. We
0:22:03 > 0:22:08cannot operate any longer by reducing it because it just isn't
0:22:08 > 0:22:13going to work. The company has tried its best to advertise what we are
0:22:13 > 0:22:21and who we are and what we do and what we'll provide and still, we've
0:22:21 > 0:22:25had nothing. Lies ahead for you? Redundancy. We have made such cut
0:22:25 > 0:22:28backs as we're prepared to do, but there are some things we've not been
0:22:28 > 0:22:32prepared to sacrifice. We're not prepared to give up providing
0:22:33 > 0:22:37therapy for children, for example. If the residential care market, for
0:22:37 > 0:22:40want of a better expression, is price driven, inevitably local
0:22:40 > 0:22:48authorities are going to go to somebody who can provide something
0:22:48 > 0:22:54at a cheaper price. The biggest private chain is a company called
0:22:54 > 0:23:00Advanced Childcare. It now runs 155 homes across England. The company
0:23:00 > 0:23:04won't give us a full break down of its job stead grades -- Ofsted
0:23:04 > 0:23:10grades. It told us more than three quarters of their services were
0:23:10 > 0:23:14rated as either outstanding or good. Ofsted can't confirm that because
0:23:14 > 0:23:22the law prevents them from doing so. The Government told us it's now
0:23:22 > 0:23:25changing the law to make Ofsted ratings for companies public.
0:23:25 > 0:23:31Advanced Childcare has the multimillion pound backing of a
0:23:31 > 0:23:40private equity firm GI Partners, and tells potential investigators that
0:23:40 > 0:23:44Advanced Childcare are paid 100% by the UK Government. The UK's biggest
0:23:44 > 0:23:49chain of private children's homes is now owned ultimately here in
0:23:49 > 0:23:54Delaware, an American state that takes pride in its financial
0:23:54 > 0:23:59seekericy which can -- secrecy, which can make following the money
0:23:59 > 0:24:01virtually impossible. Is a tax haven, while Advanced Childcare
0:24:01 > 0:24:06Limited publishes its financial accounts in the UK in a normal way,
0:24:06 > 0:24:11the accounts of the parent company, based in Delaware, are not available
0:24:11 > 0:24:16for public scrutiny. I'm looking for Advanced Childcare... This is its
0:24:16 > 0:24:20registered address. There's no sign of Advanced Childcare, only their
0:24:20 > 0:24:25corporate agents, who don't even want to confirm Advanced is based
0:24:25 > 0:24:30here. It all sounds secretive. I don't
0:24:30 > 0:24:35know if it's secretive or discreet. It's a company that represents
0:24:35 > 0:24:39children's homes in Britain, so it's fully funded by public money.
0:24:39 > 0:24:44surprised it's a British company, but I can't tell you much more than
0:24:44 > 0:24:47that. Advanced Childcare said its parent
0:24:47 > 0:24:52company being based in Delaware has no bearing on the running of the
0:24:52 > 0:24:55company and the services it provides, that financial information
0:24:55 > 0:24:59is disclosed to all the local authorities that buy its services
0:24:59 > 0:25:04and that it complies with all statutory requirements under English
0:25:04 > 0:25:09law. It says annually every pound of profit has been reinvestigated into
0:25:09 > 0:25:13the business. -- reinvested into the business. The trouble at the moment
0:25:13 > 0:25:18is that the market decides, isn't it, where the children go? Well, the
0:25:19 > 0:25:22quality of the care is key to any placement that a local authority
0:25:22 > 0:25:26makes for a child in their care into a residential home. That has to
0:25:26 > 0:25:30always come first. But the practicality is that they end up
0:25:30 > 0:25:35sending the children where the homes are and the private companies decide
0:25:35 > 0:25:40where the homes are. And that's why, with the information that local
0:25:40 > 0:25:44authorities now have, which they haven't had before, it will help
0:25:44 > 0:25:48them make informed choices as to where they should be sending
0:25:48 > 0:25:52children to children's homes which will best meet their needs.
0:25:52 > 0:25:57research suggests that one child in four is currently in a home that,
0:25:57 > 0:26:01according to the minister, is not good enough. However good some
0:26:01 > 0:26:07company practices may be, critics believe using private providers
0:26:07 > 0:26:14isn't always the way to drive up standards. I think what we're seeing
0:26:14 > 0:26:19is a very small number of companies coming to dominate the market and
0:26:19 > 0:26:25having a small number of providers is never healthy. I have concern
0:26:25 > 0:26:28that if the provider is dominated by the profit motive, that will come
0:26:28 > 0:26:37above the children's interests, particularly when times are
0:26:37 > 0:26:42difficult, as they are now. Back in Nottinghamshire, the family remain
0:26:42 > 0:26:47unhappy about their son's care in a private children's home. He's gone
0:26:47 > 0:26:52missing from there at least twice. A few weeks ago he pulled out of a
0:26:52 > 0:26:55meeting at the last minute. They've now not seen him for six months.
0:26:55 > 0:26:59It's just heart wrenching. I just want to see him. We just want him
0:26:59 > 0:27:06back living with the family again, like before. We don't want him in a
0:27:06 > 0:27:10care home. We want him home. Earlier this month, Nottinghamshire County
0:27:10 > 0:27:16Council finally moved their son to a new home, closer to his family. He's
0:27:16 > 0:27:20since been moved again. The council told us it can't discuss the
0:27:20 > 0:27:24circumstances of individual cases, but says when they're made aware of
0:27:24 > 0:27:33specific concerns, they will take all reasonable measures to ensure
0:27:33 > 0:27:43the situation is resolved sats factually. -- sat is fabbing tore.
0:27:43 > 0:27:47His mum -- satisfactorily. We can't be the only people being let down by
0:27:47 > 0:27:54the system. I believe them people out there will watch and go, we are
0:27:54 > 0:27:58having the same problem. I encourage other people to push harder. We are
0:27:58 > 0:28:02doing this to get a better future. About the future for others in
0:28:03 > 0:28:08children's homes? If their situation is to improve, the young people we
0:28:08 > 0:28:13spoke to have some advice. Just to listen to children more, speak to
0:28:13 > 0:28:17the kids and see what they feel about it and think about how it's
0:28:17 > 0:28:21going to affect their life and affect their circumstances.
0:28:21 > 0:28:26recent cases of child sexual exploitation have taught us
0:28:26 > 0:28:30anything, it's surly that children's homes must, above all, be a place of
0:28:30 > 0:28:35safety. They're meant to be responsible for so many lives of
0:28:35 > 0:28:39innocent children and vulnerable children. To then put them in a